Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Care Committee (?)

[Elizabeth Magill (pastorlizm]

A Care committee is a good idea.
You definitely want the creation of social and get-to-know-you events.

If you want to deal with conflict I suggest considering these questions
• Is the team tasked with individual conflicts and/or community-based
conflicts? Sometimes facilitation or another team handles community-based
while another team handles individual conflict. The strategies are quite
different.
• Is the team going to be reactive or proactive? That is, do you see
conflict brewing and ask people to resolve that, or do you wait to be asked
to help with a conflict.

I'd have a plenary discussion of what it means that your team can come and
tell an individual that they think there is conflict brewing. Then, if the
community *wants* the team to be pro-active, within your team you'll have
some discussion over time on how you can tell if its time to address the
issue.

One trap of pro-active work is that you will be pulled in to *solve* the
conflict. Conflict between individuals is only solved if the two
individuals engage with each other about it. Others can't solve it for
them. (This doesn't mean I'm against having the proactive team you've
suggested, I just think it's difficult.)

If you chose to be pro-active by having community discussions about an
issue that two people are in conflict over, how will you do that without
implying that people are taking sides?

These are all things you can do, it just takes some thought as to exactly
how you would engage them. Have the potential team meet and think about
some examples and how you would go about dealing with that to help
fine-tune your idea.
(Also it will get fined tuned over time, no need to think of *every*
example.)

I agree with others who have said that the people who will make community
connections happen often are quite different from those who might engage in
helping individuals deal with conflict.

At Mosaic Commons our community support team mostly limits its work to
individual conflicts, and to being reactive--we help people who ask for
help.

Liz Magill
Mosaic-Commons Cohousing in Berlin, MA






> >
> > > Hello everyone,
> > >
> > > We are in the process of developing Village Hill Cohousing in
> > Northampton,
> > > MA.  Our homes are being built, but we are not in them yet.  At this
> > point
> > > we are focusing on organizing.  We have identified a need to have a
> > > Committee that we are currently calling a Care Committee, with the
> > thinking
> > > that it would be good to have members who are noticing conflicts and
> who
> > > could offer to mediate these.  In addition, the Care Committee could
> > think
> > > about activities or events that would be nurturing for our members.
> > >
> > > We would be interested in hearing from any communities who have a
> similar
> > > Committee or who are addressing these needs in any manner.
> > >
> > > Thank you for your support,
> > > Karen Browne-Courage
> > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> > > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Joan Seliger Sidney <http://www.joanseligersidney.org/>
> > Body of Diminishing Motion
> > <http://www.joanseligersidney.org/diminishing.html> (CavanKerry), Eric
> > Hoffer Legacy Finalist 2015
> > Bereft and Blessed <http://www.joanseligersidney.org/bereft.html>
> > (Antrimhouse)
> > Special Research Associate / Writer in Residence
> > University of Connecticut Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary
> Jewish
> > Life
> > http://www.joanseligersidney.org
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> > http://L.cohousing.org/info
> >
> >
> >
> >
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://L.cohousing.org/info
>
>
>
>

-- 
-Liz
(The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
www.ecclesiaministriesmission.org
www.mosaic-commons.org
508-450-0431